


Southern Lights

by nerbert



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Established Relationship, Gen, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Meet the Family, Southern Water Tribe, Vacation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-29
Updated: 2019-11-06
Packaged: 2021-01-07 22:43:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21225455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nerbert/pseuds/nerbert
Summary: Sokka brings his boyfriend back to the South Pole for a much needed vacation, but Zuko has other plans in mind.





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> I haven’t read all the post show graphic novels, so this isn’t really canon compliant with that stuff but I do steal a couple plot points from them *shrugs*  
Basically it takes place roughly 4 years after book 3 and some time before the united republic becomes a Thing.

The ship’s horn sounds overhead, bringing Zuko out of his day dream. He looks down at his lap, where the ink brush he’s been holding has dripped all over the letter he’s supposed to be writing to the council back in the capital. _The letter can wait_ Zuko tells himself as he puts the ruined parchment aside and rubs the ink stains off his fingers. He is meant to be on vacation after all.

He notes the ship has halted as he steps out of his cabin and into the narrow metal hallway. If they sounded the horn, it must mean they’ve reached the shoreline a few hours ahead of schedule. It will be nice to reach the settlement before nightfall.

As Zuko pushes the heavy door out onto the upper deck, he hears the far-off cry of a sea hawk. His face immediately meets with an icy wind that brushes the stray hairs at the nape of his neck and sends a shiver down his spine. He exhales a small puff of flame to warm his face and hunches his shoulders against the breeze, scanning the lower deck until he spots Sokka. Zuko takes the stairs down to meet him, taking his time to enjoy the view of Sokka bent over the side of the ship inspecting the waters below. His clothes are a curious blend of Fire Nation and Water Tribe Zuko has grown accustom to over their journey. He’d kept to official robes back home, but as soon as they hit the sea Sokka immediately discarded his pointed shoes for a pair of tan snow boots. 

_“It isn’t snowing.”_ Zuko had teased him, but he knew Sokka found his own footwear more comfortable.

Then a few days later, Sokka wore his own blue shirt and pants under his robes. After their brief stop at Kyoshi Island, Sokka changed into his fur-lined anorak as the weather was rapidly cooling. Now he stood in his Water Tribe clothes, the remaining Fire Nation garb the polished leather bracers on his arms, the silk belt around his waist and the red cord tying his hair back. For some reason, Zuko still found it endearing.

He sneaks up behind Sokka and wraps his arms around waist just to hear Sokka squawk in surprise. He laughs with his face pressed between Sokka’s shoulder blades until he twists around to face Zuko.

“You could have pushed me overboard!” He says indignantly.

“I’m holding onto you.”

“You could have pushed us _both _overboard then.”

“Hmm.” Zuko cranes his neck to get a look at the water below. “Just how cold is it?”

“Eh, not that bad. You’d probably freeze on contact.”

“Would not!” Now it’s Zuko’s turn to be indignant. He didn’t almost drown in a seal turtle hole to be called a wimp about the cold.

“Okay, okay, eternal flaming one.” Sokka pats his face as he pouts.

“We’re here ahead of schedule.”

“Yeah, turns out you move a lot quicker when you have someone who knows how to steer around icebergs.”

Zuko can’t hide the small smile that pulls at his mouth. In little moments he is reminded how much he loves Sokka. He’s so smart and full of skills that always surprise Zuko. The world would be so much duller without him in it.

“How long will it take us to reach the village?”

“Shouldn’t take too long in a canoe.” Sokka grins, knowing full well Zuko hasn’t ridden a southern canoe before. He promised to take Zuko through all the water rapids. Zuko is only a little nervous, his boyfriend still insists he’s a great driver. Paddler? Canoer? He makes a mental note to ask the official canoeing terms later.

Much to the captain’s chagrin, they’ll be leaving behind the royal ship for their stay at the south pole. Apparently, it wasn’t proper for the Fire Lord to travel unaccompanied but Zuko put up a very convincing argument. Sokka was easily the best warrior around to be his body guard and it was hard to say no when the Avatar would be there too.

It’s another familiar noise that snaps Zuko out of his daze in Sokka’s arms. He must be at sea too long, when has his attention span been this short? If he’s gotten scurvy, he’ll never hear the end of it. In the skies above, a low braying call echoes off the high ice walls surrounding them. Zuko’s head snaps up at the familiar sight of a flying bison approaching.

“Your highness, the Avatar’s bison,” the nearby guard stumbles over his words in awe. He supposes he mustn’t have seen Appa before.

“Clear the deck, give him some space to land.” Zuko tells him.

Appa lands beside them with a thud and a gentle gust of air. Sokka squeezes his hand, bouncing on the soles of his feet as he spots the passenger on the bison’s back.

“Katara!” He cheers, rushing forward.

Sokka pulls his sister into a hug the second she lands on the deck, both laughing. Zuko walks forward to greet Aang, who floats down next to him.

“His royal flamey-ness!” Aang throws his arms out to meet him. Even now that’s he’s sixteen it’s hard for Zuko to not still see the kid he is at heart. The very wise, cosmically powerful kid he’d been when they stopped the hundred years war.

“Aang, it’s been too long.”

“You’re telling me! I was beginning to think you’d never leave the Palace.”

“It’s not like I can just take a vacation whenever.” Zuko mumbles.

“We know.” Katara gives him a hug now that she’s free of Sokka. “Still, can you get him to write to us more often?”

“What? Has Hawkey II not been delivering my letters?”

Zuko sighs. Sokka and that damn messenger hawk. As soon as he learnt how they actually operate, he’s been obsessed. He must act quickly to change the subject.

“So! Do you think we could catch a ride with you on Appa?” Zuko says before Sokka can interrogate his sister.

“Babe, I thought we were going to canoe in.” Sokka pouts.

“We can take you no problem! I’m sure Appa missed you guys.” Aang pats one of the beast’s many legs. Appa turns his head and licks Zuko.

“You guys can canoe any time, I want to catch up with you two- what?” Katara stops when Sokka glares at her. The siblings share a brief silent conversation carried through odd looks and facial expressions.

“Nothing.” Sokka finally grumbles.

“We can canoe later,” Zuko assures him with a hand on his arm. They’ll be here for two weeks, plenty of time for Sokka to get all canoed out.

“Alright.” Sokka gives him a nod. “We should probably go grab our stuff and get out of here.”

Zuko calmly explains their leave to the captain and the promise they will reconvene in a fortnight’s time, while Sokka gets their bags from the cabin. Old habits die hard, the two had packed lightly. They’d fit all their clothes in two thick shoulder bags.

There’s something nostalgic about climbing up the bison again. Up on the saddle with clumps of thick white hair already stuck to his clothes, Zuko feels his heart begin to race. It’s really been so long, but now it feels like he’s on another adventure with the gang just like old times. Sokka sidles up next to him and drops a kiss on his cheek. Not exactly like old times, but much better.

Once they’re up in the air, Aang turns Appa in a sharp turn to the left.

“Uh, Aang? Home’s the other way.” Katara leans over the front of the saddle to talk to him.

“You said we’ve got a couple hours until sundown, right? We should go penguin sledding.”

Sokka and Katara groan.

“Come on! It’ll be fun!” The airbender cheers.

“I’ve never been penguin sledding before.” Zuko says.

“See? Zuko’s never been! He has to try it!”

“Why are you encouraging him?” Sokka turns to ask.

Zuko shrugs. “I missed his antics.”

“Yeah, okay. I did too. Hey Katara, bet I can still sled faster than you.”

“Oh, it’s on.” She smiles. 

Early into the endeavour, Zuko realises he’s not exactly dressed for penguin sledding. His robes are quite warm, but not the best at keeping out snow. He’s managed to catch one penguin so far with a little help from Sokka but he fell off its back half way down the slope and buried himself in a thick sheet of snow. Aang took pity on him and bended the melted snow out of his clothes.

“You must be cold.” Sokka said when they all had made their way to the bottom of the slope.

“It’s fine. There’s an old fire breathing technique that keeps me warm.”

“Really?” Aang blinks. “That kind of sounds like air bending!”

Aang runs into an excited explanation of how the monks taught them to bend the air around them to keep warm. Zuko listens intently and remembers when Iroh taught him something similar.

“I guess my uncle must have come up with something similar learning about air bending.” Zuko smiles. “He learnt to redirect lightning studying water bending, I wonder what else he learnt.”

“Woah.” Says Katara.

“I wonder if Iroh learnt anything from earth benders.”

“What’s the earth bending version of fire?” Sokka wonders aloud.

“Lava?” Zuko shrugs.

“Ooh,” Aang grins. “Toph needs to hear about this.”

“No, no way you guys are trying to bend lava.” Katara folds her arms.

“There are plenty of volcanoes in the fire nation you guys could use.” Zuko smiles as Katara sends him daggers.

The gang spends the flight back to the village arguing the pros and cons of lava bending experiments. It’s basically Katara fighting a losing battle for common sense. Things only get worse when Aang points out he saw Avatar Kyoshi bended lava to move Kyoshi Island.

“Oh well if _one avatar has already done it,”_ Katara grumbles sarcastically.

As the tiny outcrop of igloos appears on the horizon, Zuko feels a sudden jolt of nervous energy. Perhaps it’s the anticipation of seeing Sokka’s family, or maybe it’s the slowly increasing reminder of what happened last time he was here. Zuko has tried not to think about it too much over the journey south, but now that they’re here it’s harder to escape the memories.

“You okay?” Sokka nudges him gently.

“Last time I was here was the first time we met.”

“Oh yeah.”

“Wasn’t a very nice meeting, was it?” Zuko ducks his head. He feels his cheeks warm with shame.

“No, it wasn’t.” Sokka says gently. “You kicked my ass pretty good, though.”

Zuko doesn’t indulge Sokka’s joke.

“It’s all in the past now, Zuko.”

“Four years wasn’t that long ago.”

“You’re not that person anymore.” Sokka puts a hand on his cheek to coax his head up. “You’re a good man and no one can question your honour.”

“I guess it’s hard to be reminded of who I was back then.”

“That’s why we’re here. We’re going to create some new, way better memories.” Sokka pulls him closer.

Zuko decides to believe him. Even at their worst, Sokka can usually find away to make Zuko laugh. They’d spent enough time together over the last two years that Sokka really knows how to push his buttons. Zuko prefers to think of it that he’s somehow learnt to relax a little.

The land in the center of the village surrounded by a small crowd. At the front Zuko spots Hakoda and an old woman Zuko recalls is Sokka’s grandmother. Before Zuko can turn and ask Sokka to remind him what her name was, he has already leapt off Appa’s back and slid down his tail. Sokka hurries forward to embrace his father and Zuko carefully makes his way down onto the icy ground.

Zuko brushes a couple errant flakes of snow off his clothes as Sokka comes back over to him with his father in tow.

“Chief Hakoda.” Zuko bows in what he hopes is a sincere enough sign of respect.

“Fire Lord Zuko,” The man gives him a wry grin before clapping him on the shoulder. “Good to see you again.”

Zuko works hard not to blush at being caught out in such informalities. To his credit, Sokka doesn’t notice and continues to introduce him to the rest of his family.

“This is Gran-gran,”

“You may call me Gran-gran” The old woman nods.

“And this is Granpakku.” Sokka introduces the old man to Gran-gran’s left side. Zuko recalls his face as a member of the White Lotus.

“You may call me Pakku.” He says coolly. “I believe we met once, before Sozin’s Comet.”

“We did.” Zuko nods. “You taught Aang and Katara at the North Pole.”

“I did. Kicked your ass in that siege too, if I recall.”

“A thorough defeat.” Zuko smiles and Pakku nods in approval.

“Ugh, we can talk boring old war stories later.” Huffs Sokka. “When’s dinner?”

That question gets everyone laughing.

“Don’t you want to show Zuko around a bit first?” Hakoda asks.

“I can wait, I don’t think Sokka’s stomach can.” Zuko smirks as Sokka elbows him.

“Aren’t they feeding you enough in the Fire Nation?” She leans up in inspect her grandson’s face. They’d had lunch on the ship merely hours ago, but Zuko decided not to ruin Sokka’s fun.

“You know me Gran-gran, I’m still a growing boy.”

“Yeah, growing sideways.” Katara adds.

“And what about your boyfriend, huh? He looks a little peaky.” She turns her attention to him, poking Zuko gently in the gut.

_Boyfriend. _Zuko doesn’t remember if Sokka had told his grandparents, but the verbal confirmation gives him pleasant little butterflies in his stomach. Back in the Fire Nation they had to keep things very secretive, but here Sokka said no one will really care. Zuko can handle apathy, if it isn’t outright rejection.

“Oh, that’s just how Zuko is.”

“Hmm. We’ll have to fatten him up too.” Gran-gran decides.

“Can’t have the Fire Lord collapsing on us now,” Hakoda says solemnly. “The Fire Nation might think we’re trying to assassinate you.”

“Then we’d have to stop another war.” Katara agrees.

“What about Aang, he’s an actual twig!”

“Gasp! How could you insult me like this?” Aang fakes outrage as Katara holds him back and begs him he isn’t worth it. Zuko wonders when those two had become so annoying at his expense. “How dare you. I challenge you to an Agni Kai!”

“Sokka, I change my mind. We should never have come here.”

“Dinner first, escape plans later.”

Zuko quickly learns why Aang avoids sea prunes. It’s not that they taste _bad _per se, but there is something strange about the texture of them when stewed. In word, Zuko would say slimy. He takes two careful sips of the stew before abandoning it for the much more palatable grilled squid. Sokka shows him how to peel the meat from a giant sea crab leg, which is immediately his favourite.

“How do you even catch a crab that big?”

“Big crab pot and a lot of rope. They’re right at the bottom of the ocean so it’s not easy to do.” Hakoda explains.

“We have lobster-urchins in the Fire Nation. They’re kind of similar, but a lot smaller than this.”

“Yeah, you have to peel all the shell off those, or they’ll prick you.” Sokka shudders, remembering the time he stabbed himself trying to eat one too quickly. Thankfully, they aren’t poisonous.

When Zuko is filled up on crab he helps Aang clear the table as Sokka fills his family in on his current position on the Fire Lord’s council. Sokka more than earned that role before they were together but now Zuko likes getting to see his boyfriend not just when he can spare a moment of down time. Both know how keep it professional. Sokka busies himself most days over seeing this or that security or engineering project. His insight has been a breath of fresh air, especially his plans on reconstructing the Gates of Azulon.

Aang and Katara supply their own stories travelling the world and dreams of repairing the long-abandoned Air Temples. Any possible construction project draws the interest of Sokka and Hakoda. The father and son are much alike, Zuko realises. Zuko feels no pang jealousy, just a gentle wave of fondness as he listens to Sokka argue with his dad over the best way to reconstruct an upside-down city.

It’s well into the night, and several rounds of warm kelp-milk later, that Zuko feels his eyes begin to droop. He’s used to long sea voyages, but there’s nothing like sleeping on dry land again. Sokka takes him back to his old room, and as he undresses, he realised just how cold it is. He takes immense joy in stealing as many furs and blankets off Sokka’s bed as he can.

“Hey!”

Sokka wrestles the blankets away from him and Zuko grumbles. With out thinking, he brings his hands up to his face to breathe a flame and warm him up.

“We’ve been over this, no firebending in bed.” Sokka catches him as he rolls over.

“I’m cold.” Zuko curls into Sokka, seeking out the warmth of his body. Sokka puts an arm over Zuko’s waist and lets him curl up on his chest. They drift into a quiet lull until Sokka jolts away from a cold foot that hooks around his calf.

“Ow!”

“Why are your feet made of ice?”

“Let me warm them up.”

“Put socks on, you freak!”

They finally reach a peaceful agreement when Zuko turns around so Sokka can spoon him properly. Warm at last, Zuko drifts off to sleep.

He wakes with the sun the next morning with Sokka snoring beside him. Summer in the south pole means the days last eighteen hours before the sun sets again. Zuko must have only slept for an hour or two at most. He rolls over to watch Sokka sleeping and wonders if anyone else in the village will be awake yet. If he was back home, he’d already be in meetings with his nose buried in a pile of paperwork. There’s a moment of joy when Zuko remembers there won’t be any paperwork waiting for him for another two weeks. He decides then to do the truly unthinkable, quell his firebending instincts and fall back asleep. He may have only slept in a couple extra hours, but the experience of waking up with Sokka is foreign and exciting.

“Don’t tell me you slept in.” Sokka says in a husky voice as he blinks awake.

“Thought I’d try it out.”

“Does this mean you haven’t made me tea yet?” Another one of Zuko’s morning rituals. Iroh always sends his best blends from Ba Sing Se.

“Do you even have tea down here?”

“Of course, we do, we’re not savages!” Sokka pauses. “Not that I’ve seen anyone other than Gran-gran make it. Maybe I should check.”

He then leaps out bed in just a pair of shorts. Zuko is content to let him leave as he proceeds to commandeer the rest of the blankets of Sokka’s side of the bed. Once he’s all wrapped in a cocoon and ready to drift off again, Sokka returns and waves a steaming porcelain cup over the gap in the blankets Zuko had been using to breathe. Zuko pulls his arms loose of the cocoon and takes the cup.

“What’s the plan today?” Zuko has left all their holiday scheduling up to Sokka, which he acknowledges probably isn’t the wisest choice. Zuko wonders just how many times they’ll go fishing before the temptation to throw Sokka overboard takes over. As much as he loves Sokka, there’s only so much of that activity he can handle.

“Well, there’s that meeting you wanted to have with Dad and stuff. Thought we should get that out of the way first thing this morning.”

“Good.” Zuko nods. He really does want this vacation to be as relaxing and enjoyable as possible, but there is something he needs to get out of the way first. He doesn’t expect many people in the tribe to like him, but he wants to try. He’s kept Sokka so far away from his own people, he wants to show them he is worth the sacrifice.

He told all this to Sokka once, but he just scoffed. _You don’t need to prove anything to them. I love you, okay? I’m not going anywhere. _Zuko finds comfort in the reassurance Sokka stills wants to be by his side, but he’s been thinking about it a lot recently. He wants to be by Sokka’s side too. Knowing the people and the place he grew up in seems like an important step in the process.

As they get dressed, Sokka brings out a fur lined coat for Zuko. The blue and white doesn’t blend seamlessly against the red and black robes beneath, but it’s warm enough that Zuko doesn’t mind. It’s an exciting change to wear something so unlike his expected wardrobe, perhaps he’ll find an excuse to wear all of Sokka’s clothes instead of his own. He’s considering ways to accidentally burn his wardrobe when Sokka pulls out a familiar whale-bone comb.

Of all the rituals built around each other, this one is Zuko’s favourite. He sits on the bed while Sokka kneels behind him and runs the comb through his hair. Over the years he’s steadily let it grow out longer. Now, it is past his shoulders.

“Do you want me to tie it back?” Sokka reaches into his pack for hairpins and the case the Fire Lord’s crown is kept in.

Zuko shrugs. “Whatever you think is appropriate.”

“I’ll be right back.” He says with a glint in his eye as he steps away from Zuko and out of the room, calling for his sister. He returns with Katara a minute later, whispering conspiringly in her ear. She nods a long, a dangerous grin spreading across her face. Before Zuko can ask, they descend on him and start parting sections of his hair.

Aang wanders by looking for Katara but stops when he sees him.

“Looking good, Zuko!”

“What are they doing to me? I can’t see.”

Sokka proudly places the mirror in his lap.

Zuko blanches. “You gave me-”

“Hair loopeys! Just like Katara!” Sokka finishes for him.

“It’s too short for me to braid at the back.” Katara says, only a little disappointed.

“Yeah, we can’t do that. It would be too hard to tell you two apart otherwise.”

He decides then and there, hair loopeys is where he draws the line. A Fire Lord must have standards. He makes Sokka re-do his hair to resemble a vaguely respectable half-bun (despite Katara’s protests he stick to the ‘true water tribe experience’).

When they’re all dressed and ready, the gang (minus Toph, who has her metal bending school to run) follow Hakoda to the large round building in the center of town to meet with the rest of the chieftains. He runs Zuko through brief introductions, he vaguely remembers the likes of Bato and Gilak as warriors present at his Coronation but Pakku’s contingent from the Northern tribe are new faces to him.

“Never thought I’d live to see the day we host the Fire Lord at the South Pole,” Bato chuckles. “But hey, if it means Sokka finally comes home to visit you’re welcome any time.”

Zuko thoroughly enjoys watching Sokka blush at the gentle teasing from his countrymen. They’ve had to keep so quiet about their relationship back in the Fire Nation, it feels good to be somewhere they owe no one an explanation. In the Water Tribe your business was your own, a stark contrast to the laws Sozin had put in place to maintain the nations strict cultural identity. Zuko has abolished these rules, but a less tolerant mindset still infected many he worked with on the council. This early into his rule, he couldn’t afford to make more enemies. There are still hidden Ozai loyalists he has to contend with, they’ll take any chance to have the nation turn against him.

“I appreciate the hospitality, and for welcoming me into your tribe. I understand this wouldn’t have been easy for everyone.” Zuko says, getting straight to business.

“No, it was not.” the old warrior, Gilak agrees. 

“The Fire Nation is no longer our enemy,” Sokka says quickly. Next to him, Aang nods.

“It’s alright.” Zuko appreciates the defence, as unnecessary it is. “I understand. All the world’s problems weren’t fixed simply because the war is over. As I understand, the raids in the South were devastating. I am here today to ask you all how I may fix what has been done.”

There is silence for a moment until Pakku breaks it. “With the war over, it has been much easier for the Northern tribe to supply aid and resources. We have been working with chief Hakoda to develop the Southern Reconstruction Project.”

Zuko notes Gilak’s frown, but the man says nothing. He’ll have to ask Sokka about that later.

“Is there anything I can do to assist in this project?”

“With all due respect, your Highness,” Gilak finally speaks. “This is between our tribes. I don’t think we need more _foreign _intervention.”

Sokka clenches his fists. Zuko wants to reach over and takes his hand but decides against it. Everyone else in the room is watching him. He exhales calmly.

“Of course. My offer still stands if there is anything else, I can assist with.”

“There are still several fire nation shipwrecks stuck in the ice around here. They’re booby-trapped and too dangerous for anyone was to go near them.” Sokka points out, his voice flat and his eyes avoiding Gilak.

Aang and Katara look at each other for a moment before turning away looking embarrassed. Zuko fights the urge to laugh, remembering that Aang set off the alarm system in one all those years ago. Sokka has a point. Any curious child could go looking for trouble in them. Not to mention they were surely an eye-sore on the vast and pristine polar environment

“With your permission, Hakoda, I could send a small team of engineers to disable the ships. Although, they are probably too deeply wedged in the ice to be moved.”

“I’m sure we could figure that part out.” Katara nods to Pakku. “A team of water benders could see that the ships are sunk properly.”

“I’m sure there’s valuable metals and equipment on those ships.” Sokka scratches his chin.

“Anything found onboard belongs to the Southern water tribe to be used as they see fit.”

Everyone looks to agree, except for Gilak.

“What possible use is there in Fire Nation scraps?” He grumbles. 

“I’m sure we can leave that to our engineers and constructors to decide.” Hakoda says diplomatically.

The gentle quip is enough to silence Gilak for now and Zuko is quietly relieved. He doesn’t expect everyone to like him, but he can’t understand why the man seems so insistent in denying his attempts to help.

He pays it no mind as the meeting draws to a close. He’s watches Hakoda intently, looking for any sign he’s displeased at how it went. Hakoda may be important as a tribal leader, but Zuko really cares about not getting on the wrong side of Sokka’s dad. Sokka likes to point out he’s been in his good books since he helped bust him out a jail, but Zuko isn’t about to take that for granted. Especially here in the South Pole, he’s as much as an outsider as ever.

“Not bad.” Hakoda claps his shoulder.

“What is Gilak’s deal?” Sokka huffs when they’re out of ear shot.

“He’s been on edge ever since Pakku arrived with more benders from the North.” Katara says darkly.

“I think he’s had a hard time adjusting since the war.”

“I thought water was supposed to be the element of change.” Zuko wonders aloud, remembering his uncle’s lessons.

“It’s not all that clear cut.” Hakoda shrugs. “He’ll come around eventually.”

“Well now that’s out the way.” Sokka grabs Zuko’s hand and pulls him close. “We’ve got canoeing to do. Bye!”

“Be home for dinner.” Hakoda calls out to them as they jog along the path leading down to the docks.

“Don’t get lost!” Katara adds.

The snowfields outside the village are thicker, but a quick blast of fire clears them a path. They trudge through the melted snow until they reach a two-man canoe tied by the dock and loaded with fishing gear.

Zuko paddles them out to see and to the east until they reach a little frozen cove along the coast line. Sokka sets Zuko up with a fishing rod and helps him cast out a line.

“And now we just…wait?”

“Yep.”

“The fish come to us?”

“Uh-huh.”

“What if they don’t come this way?”

“Zuko, they’re fish. They’ll swim this way sooner or later.”

“But what if they-”

“Shh, you’ll scare away the fish.”

Zuko pauses for a moment before whispering: “They can hear us?”

“No,” Sokka laughs. “That’s the best part of fishing. You can do what you want until you get something on your line.” As a demonstration, he leans back on the seat and closes his eyes.

“So, you come out here to relax?”

“Exactly. You should try it some time.”

“I don’t think I’m very good at it.”

“I’ll teach you.” He wraps himself around Zuko’s waist and pulls him over. Zuko relents and tucks himself under Sokka’s arms. He will lie here for a few minutes and try to relax until he gets bored. Or, he could close his eyes from a moment. “See? Now you’re getting it.”

He feels Sokka kiss his temple. Then another kiss to his cheek. Then his lips. Then his nose.

“Stop it.” He scrunches up his face as Sokka continues the onslaught. He’s promptly ignored until Zuko has no choice but to fight back. He grabs the front of Sokka’s coat and pulls him in for a proper kiss.

“It should be clear enough tomorrow night to see the Southern Lights.” Sokka says when they break apart. “I was thinking we could go somewhere up in the hills and watch.”

“That would be nice.” Zuko smiles. His last time in the South Pole hadn’t been long enough to stay around and see the sights, much to Iroh’s disappointment. Looking back, it seems a shame he missed them, but that was the path he was on. He wasn’t about to stop looking for the Avatar for anything as trivial as lights in the sky.

Sokka pauses for a moment and licks his lips. “Hey, um, so I’ve been thinking…”

“I think we’ve got something.” Zuko jolts up suddenly as the fishing rod almost tugs free of his lap.

“Reel it in!” Sokka holds onto his shoulders as Zuko’s pulls in the line.

After a fierce but short-lived battle, they pull in a bug-eyed fish covered in grey scales about the size of Zuko’s torso.

“What is that?”

“A silver toothfish. They’re pretty tasty.”

“Toothfish?” Zuko hesitantly pokes at the creature’s mouth.

“You don’t want to know.” Sokka says a moment too late as Zuko peers inside to see a very human set of teeth.

“What were you saying before?” Zuko asks when he finishes shuddering at the sight.

“Huh? Oh that, it doesn’t matter.” Sokka scratches the back of his head and looks away.

Zuko eyes him suspiciously. He knows when Sokka lies unconvincingly. He decides not to bring it up. If it really is important, Sokka will tell him.


	2. Part 2

The next day Zuko wakes slowly, savouring a peaceful midmorning. No meetings. No paperwork. No servants or guards, just Sokka snoring next to him. Zuko has always admired his ability to sleep just about anywhere. It was a useful habit travelling the world with the Avatar.

With Sokka still unconscious, it gives Zuko the opportunity to put his first plan into motion. He slips carefully out from under the blankets and over to Sokka’s bag on the floor. After a cursory peek inside, he begins to rummage through the contents. He’s got a coat, but what he really needs is a decent set of pants to really get a Water Tribe aesthetic going. Sokka is only an inch shorter than him, sharing clothes has never been a problem before.

He finds a blue undershirt made of a soft material. It looks comfortable, so he tucks it under his arm to try on later. He is elbow deep in the bag when he hears the bed shift behind him.

“What are you doing?”

Busted. “Um,”

“Shit, Zuko, don’t look in there!” Sokka’s voice comes out in a panic as he springs across the room and pulls his belongings out of Zuko’s grasp.

“Why, what’s in there?” Zuko frowns. It’s not like Sokka to freak out like this without a reason.

“Nothing!” He holds the bag tight to his chest.

“I just wanted some of your clothes.”

“Why?”

“To wear, why else?” Zuko rolls his eyes. “They look comfy.”

“Oh,” He blinks. “You want to look Water Tribe?”

“Sure. I might as well while I’m here.” He feels his face warm trying to pretend he just doesn’t want to be in his boyfriend’s clothes.

“You do stick out like a sore thumb.” Sokka agrees.

“I do that anywhere.” The scar is hard to hide.

“Everyone is aware of your devastating beauty. I have to fight potential suitors off constantly.”

Zuko rolls his eyes. “They’re all jealous I picked up the South Pole’s most eligible bachelor.”

“True.” He says and modestly flexes his muscles. He’s still quite lanky, but his body has filled out considerably since his adolescence. Even in their relative peacetime, Sokka still trains with his broadsword and other weapons. Being ambidextrous meant both of his arms got a decent workout.

They find enough clothes to piece together a Water Tribe outfit for Zuko. None of Sokka’s boots fit Zuko’s ‘dainty feet’ (his words, not Zuko’s), so they must venture out into the village to find a proper pair of snow shoes. Sokka takes him to the village tanner, a woman named Uki with a house full of animal pelts.

“Sokka!” She smiles as they enter and pulls him into a crushing hug. “We were beginning to think you’d never come home!”

“I’ve been busy.” He wheezes when Uki finally lets him go.

“So I’ve heard.” She winks in Zuko’s direction.

He shows Zuko around the small storefront as Uki looks through her collection for boots in his size. Sokka insists they get a buffalo yak skin to take back with them. Zuko doubts it would be cold enough in the Fire Nation to need something so thick, but he knows better by now that to come between Sokka and a shopping trip.

Uki returns with a few different shoes for him to try. With Zuko distracted, she pulls Sokka out of earshot.

“Have you asked him yet?”

“I’m working on it.”

She hits him over the head.

“Ow!” He ducks before she can hit him again.

“What are you waiting for? The leather I gave you was alright, wasn’t it? If it’s that you’re worried about I have more, we can try-”

“No, no, it was fine.” Sokka whispers, looking around to make sure Zuko didn’t hear. “Thanks for that by the way. It looks great, I just hope he likes it.”

“He better.” She narrows her eyes for a moment, before letting it go.

Zuko steps out from Uki’s shop finally dressed head to toe in grey furs and thick blue fabric. He’s impressed to learn the boots are entirely water proofed, which saves him having to constantly melt snow off his feet. His hair is tied back in the same half-bun as yesterday, but Sokka added a couple of braids he tied off with shining blue beads at the end. Sokka informs him the beads are made from carved paua shells. Zuko has never been much for hair ornamentation (aside from, you know, the crown), but the beads would be a nice keepsake to take back home.

“Looking good.” He winks.

“Where are you taking me next?” Zuko leans over to hold Sokka’s gloved hand in his own.

“Actually, about that…”

“What?” He frowns as Sokka awkwardly drops his hand.

“I have to go run some errands for a little bit.”

“What kind of errands?”

“Oh, just errands. You know, boring stuff to do now that I’m back home.”

“Can I help?”

“No! You’re fine. You can kick back and relax. I’ll see you this afternoon, okay?”

“Okay.” Zuko tries hard not to pout, but Sokka knows him too well. He looks guilty for a moment and quickly pecks Zuko on the lips in apology.

“I promise, once I’m done, we’ll go out and see the lights.”

Sokka leaves Zuko there with the few amused villagers who watched their exchange. Zuko blushes a little realising he’s been seen publicly fraternising with his boyfriend for quite possibly the first time. He blames the sudden rush of colour to his face on the cold and ducks his head deep into his fur-lined hood. He trundles home, proud to remember the way all on his own. Aang and Katara have finally woken up and they sit down together to enjoy breakfast and a pot of tea.

“Where’s Sokka?”

“He said he had something important to do.” Zuko shrugs as Aang and Katara exchange another one of their secret looks. “Has he been acting weird around you too?”

“He’s always weird.” Katara dismisses it with a wave of her hand.

“Well if I have some free time today, there’s only one thing for it. Aang, how is your form?”

“Huh?” He looks up from where he was bending the rising steam from his cup.

“I think you’re well over due for more fire bending training.”

“What? But!” Aang splutters and Katara chuckles. “You’re meant to be on vacation.”

“I am, not you.” He rises to his feet. “You did challenge me the other day, you didn’t think I’d forget that, did you?”

“An Agni Kai? I was joking.”

“I never joke.” Zuko deadpans, but it’s hard to keep it up. “Okay, but I do want to see that you haven’t been slacking off. You’re the master of all four elements, not three and a half.”

Katara takes them to a flat snowfield a little way out of town and sets herself down a comfortable distance to watch. Zuko begins to melt the ice into a large circle for a makeshift arena, but Aang just bends the ice as is.

“Show me what you’ve got.” Zuko shouts at Aang from the other side of the ice.

Aang takes a deep breath, and to his credit, jumps into a perfect firebending stance. He crosses his arm over to the left and shoots out a blazing red stream, then strikes over again on the right side. He takes two steps forward, balanced on the icey ground below him before kicking out a wave of flame. Katara claps politely from the sidelines. Zuko looks over to see a few more people watching them tentatively from the distance.

“Hey, Zuko! You have to see this new move I’ve been working on.”

He looks over at Aang standing with a ball of flame in each of his out stretched hands. He tosses them into the air one at a time and catches them again before the flames die out. He adds a third ball, then a fourth. Soon there are too many for Zuko to count as they all blur together into a spinning wheel of fire. Some of the watchers on move closer to get a better look, murmuring in awe to each other.

“I’m fire juggling!” He beams, as he continues to rapidly toss and catch fire.

“That’s not very practical.” Zuko puts his hands on his hips.

“I don’t know, they seem to like it.” Katara appears beside him, nodding at the cluster of children clapping and cheering as Aang juggles.

“I still remember a time when we were all so afraid of fire.” She says after a long moment of silence.

“It wasn’t exactly that long ago.” Zuko agrees. “Your people have every right to be cautious.”

“And yet here they are anyway, watching a fire demonstration.” It sounds like Katara too finds this hard to believe.

“He’s always been good at bringing people together.” Zuko says as they watch Aang snuff out each fireball until there is one left balanced on his index finger.

“He makes it so easy to forget where the lines between nations exist, like the Avatar should.”

“You must be very proud of him.” He turns to Katara to see the fond expression on her face. 

“All the time.”

Early in the afternoon and there’s still no sign of Sokka. Zuko decides not to worry about until it gets closer to nightfall. Zuko, Aang and Katara return to the house for lunch with Hakoda and Gran-gran. Zuko worries it will be awkward without Sokka by his side, but he manages to hold his own. In fact, this morning he’s had a lot of time to himself to think. He’s been thinking about it for a while now. It’s not like he planned this trip to the South Pole with ulterior motives in mind, but he can’t deny the opportunity he hoped would present itself. He had been hoping it would be a little later into their stay, but Zuko doesn’t know how much longer he can keep it to himself.

Near the end of the meal, he breathes deeply and steadies himself.

“Hakoda, I wanted to thank you for welcoming me into your home.” He says to the chief seated directly across from him. Katara is next to him, while Aang is on Zuko’s side. Gran-gran sits to the right at the head of the table.

“You’re welcome any time.” Hakoda blinks at Zuko’s sudden formality.

“I understand now just how hard it must have been with Sokka so far away. It’s selfish, but Sokka has been vital by my side. At the beginning of my coronation there were few people I could trust, to have Sokka there felt like a life line. It is an honour to know such a brave and intelligent man.”

“We _are _talking about the same Sokka, right?” Katara begins before being shushed by her Gran-gran.

“I know you haven’t had much time to properly know me, but I hope in time you will understand the love I have for him. I hope to prove that I can be worthy of him. Most of all I hope to ask for your family’s blessing to ask for Sokka’s hand in marriage.”

He watches Katara and Hakoda’s jaws go slack in stunning synchronicity. Gran-gran, to her credit, doesn’t so much as blink. He can’t see Aang’s reaction from his other side. Hakoda looks to his daughter for a second, but she just stares back at him with wide eyes.

Months, years, decades, pass by before Katara finally breaks the silence.

“But we all thought-”

“What we mean to say is,” Hakoda quickly interrupts. “Is that this is uh, quite sudden.”

“I understand.” Zuko nods, looking down at his empty plate and wonders if it’s not too late to bolt out the room and throw up somewhere.

“We need some time to think it over.” He adds.

Zuko is about to tell them he understands as he stands up and makes a break for it, but before he can properly put his retreat into motion, he is roused by the sound of Sokka coming home.

“Hey! You guys had lunch without me?” He marches into the room blissfully unaware of the tension surrounding them. He grabs a bowl and starts scooping stew into his mouth like he hasn’t eaten in days.

“We weren’t expecting you back yet.” Katara says, eyes darting between Sokka and Zuko.

“Finished early,” he winks. “What did you guys do without me?”

“Nothing!” Katara and Hakoda say at the same time.

“Ooooh-kay.” Sokka says and finishes up the rest of the stew by slurping it up directly from the bowl. “Well I’ve got the canoe ready for us, Zuko. We can go out now and be all set to see the lights at nightfall.”

“Yes, let’s go.” Zuko stands abruptly and slams his knee against the table. He gingerly takes Sokka by the arm and steers him out of the tiny dining room.

As soon as Zuko and Sokka are outside and safely out of earshot, Gran-gran leans over and hits Hakoda’s arm.

“Time to think it over?” She grumbles at him.

“What else was I meant to say?”

“You almost gave the boy a heart attack.”

“This just made things a lot more interesting.” Aang notes to himself as Katara puts her head in her hands, unsure whether to laugh or cry.

_Those two really must be made for each other_, she thinks.

Zuko spends the canoe ride behind Sokka genuinely contemplating throwing himself overboard. Sokka can steer the canoe all himself which leaves Zuko with two hands to run through his hair and mope freely. His hair is a mess now, strands of it falling into his face from the bun Sokka had so lovingly done for him this morning.

What had Zuko been thinking? He sees Sokka’s father for the first time in years and immediately asks to marry his only son? They still have another 12 days here that Zuko must spend waiting to see if Hakoda will murder him in his sleep.

_He didn’t say no, _the rational voice in his head reminds him. It sounds a lot like his uncle.

He watches the back of Sokka’s head as the sun sets behind them. The fading light hits the back of his wolftail and gives it an orange glow. His eyes move down to admire the shape of his shoulders as he dips the paddle into the water. It’s harder to see under all the clothes but Zuko knows his body as well as his own. He can see the flex of his muscles as sure as he can the icebergs that float by.

The waves lap at the side of the boat. Right on the water, Zuko breathes in the sea air and is reminded of Sokka’s own salty smell. When Zuko was too busy back in the capital, Sokka would sometimes walk the beach at sunset by himself. He always came back smelling of salt and sand. On the long days indoors, that smell was a welcome reminder of the world beyond the palace. Sokka has never been very spiritual, but perhaps the ocean spirit blessed him to always take a piece of her with him.

“Just over there.” Sokka points towards a dip in the shoreline where a rocky outcrop pokes through the ice. There’s a little lean-to tent atop the rocks facing the setting sun.

“Did you do that?”

“I told you, I had errands to run.” He winks. Zuko carefully crouches forward to wrap Sokka in a hug from behind.

“Zuko, I can’t paddle like this.” He laughs as Zuko squeezes him tighter.

Eventually he does let go long enough for them to reach the shore. Now that they’re close enough, Zuko sees the path Sokka has carved through the snow with little candles lined up on either side. Sokka then offers him a hand getting out of the canoe and kisses him on the cheek when he lands on the shore.

“What’s all this for?”

Sokka shrugs. “I felt like it.”

Sokka leads him up to the outcrop to the tent decked out with furs and cushions. From behind the tent he pulls out a covered platter of giant sea crab. They spend the hour as the sun sets lounging in the tent and eating crab, with Sokka lying with his head rested on Zuko’s shoulder.

“How funny would it be if the lights didn’t show tonight.” Zuko mused as he looks upon all Sokka’s hard work.

“I wouldn’t take us back until we see them.”

“We’d starve.”

“I can hunt.”

“We’d freeze.”

“You can keep us warm.”

“Oh? You’ll let me firebend around you now?” Zuko lets out a puff of hot steam from his mouth. 

“We’re not technically in bed so the rule doesn’t apply.”

“So I can’t do this,” Zuko rolls them over in one swift movement so Sokka is flat on his back beneath him. He pulls in close, mouth hovering an inch away from Sokka’s. Two arms come to rest on Zuko’s bony hips now less prominent with so many layers covering them.

“I could be persuaded.” Sokka raises his eyebrows. “Although, it’s really not that comfortable out doors like this.

“Tell me you haven’t.”

“Not personally, no. But you hear stories about the dangers of getting busy out here. You’ve heard of getting out tongue stuck to a frozen icicle but imagine the icicle is-”

“Okay, I get the picture.” Zuko cuts him off before the details get too unsavoury.

“How about all those stars.” Sokka says in a low, dreamy voice. He looks up beyond Zuko’s head towards the now dark sky.

“I’d rather look down here.” Zuko doesn’t look away from his face as he cradles a cheek in one hand.

“We literally came all this way to look at the sky, and now you don’t want to.” Sokka attempts to pinch Zuko’s side but the layers render it ineffective.

“Fine.” Zuko rolls over onto his side so he can prop his head up on Sokka’s chest and watch too. The stars here are different from the Fire Nation. Sokka points out a few of the most visible constellations. A fish hook, a giant squid, a tiny cross that always points to the south. The night sky is almost completely clear of clouds, but no lightshow yet.

“Come on. We’re on a schedule over here.” Sokka tells the sky. Zuko wonders if there are spirits that control the lights. Maybe Aang could talk to them.

“Sokka, really it’s okay if we don’t see them. They’re just some lights.”

“_Magic _lights.”

Zuko snorts. “Since when have you cared about that stuff?”

“I just wanted to do something romantic.” He mumbles, eyes downcast. “It’s not like we have time to do stuff like this a lot.”

Zuko swallows thickly on a lump of guilt. He knows that Sokka knows what he’d signed up for in dating the Fire Lord. To his credit, he rarely ever complains about how little time they get together. _We’ll make it work, _he’s told him on many occasions. Somehow, they’ve always found each other on the days they’ve needed it most. When Zuko drags himself to bed after an unproductive day Sokka is waiting for him with a freshly brewed pot of tea and the promise of a back massage. When Sokka’s lingering doubts get the better of him, Zuko’s schedule would be miraculously cleared for the rest of the day. Alright, so perhaps he’d abandon his duties every now and then, but he knows when Sokka needs it. Even if it’s just to spar for a few hours or talk over the problem he has in his latest engineering project, Zuko wants to be there. They’ve made it work so far, even if it hasn’t been perfect.

There’s a lingering voice in the back of Zuko’s head that asks: _What if it isn’t enough? _As much as he tries, Zuko can’t always tell what Sokka is feeling. He feigns wearing his heart on his sleeve, but there’s a hesitation he hides behind jokes and sarcasm. There’s no way Sokka would have ever dreamed he’d spend the rest of his life in the Fire Nation. How long does Zuko have before he gets bored and leaves?

He thinks Hakoda was right to be hesitant. Perhaps its not too late to take it back and apologise. It would be the right thing to do for Sokka.

“Zuko! Did you see that?” He jolts up suddenly, shaking Zuko free of his thoughts. “Zuko?”

“Huh? What?”

“Over there.” He points to the eastern corner of the sky. “I thought I saw something.”

Zuko squints hard in the direction he was pointed. There are plenty of stars on display, but their twinkling white light doesn’t seem out of the ordinary. He’s about to tease him when a wisp of green flashes for a moment. Sokka grabs his hand and squeezes in excitement. The sky is dark for another minute as they wait with bated breath until the sky lights up with tendrils of shimmering lights.

“That’s it, right?”

“No, those are the _other _Southern Lights.” Sokka pulls Zuko close and kisses his cheek.

They’re every bit as strange and as beautiful as Sokka had described them. The green makes way for turquoise and purple waves of pure energy that dance high above, as if bended by the stars themselves. The colours shift as fluid as water, but with all the burning intensity of fire.

“It’s like dragon fire.” Zuko recalls.

“Really?”

“Yeah, maybe I could take you to meet the Masters one day.”

“Would I have to learn that dumb dance you and Aang do?”

“It’s not dumb.”

“I know, I know. I guess it’s only fair you choose the next place we go on vacation.”

“Huh?” Zuko blinks.

“I got to pick the South Pole, so it’s your turn next.”

“You want to go on vacation again?” _with me? _

“Well, not right away! But next time you need a break from Fire Lord-ing I thought, you know,”

“That might not be for a long time, Sokka.” He frowns.

“I know.”

“And you’re just okay with that?”

“Sure.” Sokka shrugs. “Shouldn’t I be?”

Zuko shuffles out of Sokka’s grip. The space between them is enough for a gust of wind to rush through and chill the side of his face. A few hours ago, he’d wanted something as serious as marriage, now all he wants is to not let himself get his hopes up.

“That’s a lot of commitment. It’s okay if you don’t want to wait around for it.”

For a moment, Sokka looks confused. He then shakes his head and stands up, dusting the snow off his pants. He mumbles something Zuko can’t hear as he crouches down searching behind the pile of pillows. Zuko closes his eyes and wills himself to stay calm. It has been fun while it lasted.

“I’ve been thinking about this for a while now.” Sokka finally says, kneeling back down to sit next to Zuko. “Coming back home, everything is so different then when I was last here. This place has changed, and I’ve changed too.”

Zuko doesn’t look at him.

“Growing up, it’s not like I could ever imagine my life turning out like this. Finding the avatar, saving the world, falling for you, it’s all be better than anything I could ever imagine, and I have a pretty wild imagination.”

Despite of himself, Zuko smiles sadly.

“For a long time after the war I didn’t know what I wanted in life. What does a warrior do in peacetime? My dad used to tell me you fight for what you love. I guess once you’re done fighting, all you have left to do is love. I love you, Zuko.”

“I love you too.” Zuko finally looks at him. Sokka’s eyes reflect the myriad of colours in the sky above.

“Here.” Sokka presses something into his gloved hands. It’s hard to tell with touch alone, but it seems to be a wooden box. Zuko is confused. “I want you to have this.”

It’s no bigger than the palm of his hand and carved from red cherry wood. Zuko pulls a glove off his hand with his teeth in order to unlock the metal clasp on the lid of the box. The lid creaks open on unused hinges. The first thing Zuko sees is a shining black disk as it catches the dim light around them. Obsidian, Zuko realises on closer inspection. The black pendant has a strange, swirling symbol carved into the surface. He picks it up with his free, shivering hand and feels the tiny gold hook that attaches it to a dark leather strap. Zuko doesn’t quite know what it is, but the design looks familiar.

“In the Water Tribe it’s traditional to make a betrothal necklace,” Sokka tells him. “You’ve probably seen Katara’s, it used to be our mom’s.”

“Betrothal.” Zuko repeats slowly.

“If you don’t want to get married right away, we can wait. However long it takes, but I want you to know I’m not going anywhere. Zuko, will you marry me?”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Zuko clenches the necklace in his fist.

“I…what?” Sokka’s face pales.

“You’ve had a betrothal necklace this entire time? How long?”

“Since before we left the Fire Nation.” Sokka watches Zuko’s outburst in mild terror and confusion.

“Unbelievable.”

“Is that a no?”

“There is _no way on earth I’m letting you propose first.” _Zuko grits out.

“You…what? What is going on right now?” He says, trying very hard not to freak out.

“I’ve been planning to propose to _you! _I asked your family’s permission and everything!”

“No way.” Everything finally clicks into place in Sokka’s head. He can’t help the hysteric laugh that bubbles up his throat. “HA! I proposed first, loser!”

“Did not! I asked your family first, that’s tradition in the Fire Nation so _technically-”_

“Nope. Nu-uh. Doesn’t count you didn’t ask me.”

“Does to!”

“Oh yeah? What did my family tell you exactly?”

“They said they’d think about it.” Zuko can feel his good eye twitching. Sokka cackles.

“Oh man, that’s a good one! I wrote to dad about this months ago. They were all totally fucking with you. Not gonna lie I’m almost proud.”

“Shit.” Zuko buries his head in Sokka’s warm shoulder to hide how badly he must be blushing.

“And I mean, if we’re going off family permission. I asked Iroh too before we left.”

“My uncle knows as well?”

“Yeah, duh. I did my research on your traditions. It wasn’t like I could take a nice trip to fire prison and ask old Jerk Lord, could I?”

“Is there anyone who doesn’t know you were going to propose?”

Sokka begins counting on his hands. “Not sure if I told Momo yet.”

Zuko looks up at the sky and can feel the spirits laughing at him.

“Just put the stupid, beautiful necklace on me.”

Sokka bounces around until Zuko has his back to him and carefully does up the metal clasp on the back. It’s a snug, yet satisfactory fit. The leather has enough stretch in it not to be too tight. Zuko reaches up to feel where the pendant rests in the hollow at the base of his throat.

“Volcanic glass isn’t very traditional, but I thought it would be nice to have something from your home.”

“You carved it yourself?”

“It took a few tries to get the shape right, but yeah.”

Zuko turns around so he can kiss Sokka on the mouth. With their lips pressed together, the remaining frustration Zuko had melts away. The Southern lights crackle overhead, illuminating the mid-summer sky that is sure to give way to an icy dawn in a few short hours. The ocean splashes and sighs against the shore behind them, the only other sound the wind whipping through Zuko’s hair.

Sokka loves him. They’re engaged. All is right in the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hopefully one more chapter to go!! maybe a wedding???

**Author's Note:**

> ok this will probably be in 2 (maybe 3) parts im posting the first part now bc I'm lazy and need to pressure myself into writing the rest of it. Hope u enjoy what ever this is!


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